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Biomedical subjects

J P Després

Publications and source records attributed to J P Després.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

[Rimonabant improves cardiometabolic risk profile in obese or overweight subjects: overview of RIO studies].

RIO (Rimonabant In Obesity and related disorders) is a large phase 3 programme (>6600 patients) evaluating the efficacy and safety of rimonabant (5 or 20 mg/day), a CBI receptor antagonist of endocannabinoid system, in obese or overweight patients with or without comorbidities (RIO-Europe and RIO-North America), with untreated dyslipidaemia (RIO-Lipids) or with type 2 diabetes treated with metformin or sulfonylurea (RIO-Diabetes). Compared to placebo, rimonabant 20 mg/day consistently increases weight loss, reduces waist circumference, increases HDL cholesterol, lowers triglyceride levels, diminishes insulin resistance, and reduces the prevalence of metabolic syndrome. Almost half of the metabolic effects, including adiponectin increase, occur beyond weight loss, suggesting a direct peripheral effect of rimonabant.

Anti-Obesity Agents↗

Intra-abdominal obesity: an untreated risk factor for Type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

The prevalence of Type 2 diabetes is showing a rapid progression worldwide, a phenomenon largely resulting from the epidemic proportions reached by obesity in various populations of the world. However, physicians have been puzzled by the heterogeneity of obesity as not every obese patient is characterized by chronic complications. In this regard, body fat distribution, especially intra-abdominal adipose tissue accumulation, has been found to be a key correlate of a cluster of diabetogenic, atherogenic, prothrombotic and inflammatory metabolic abnormalities increasing the risk of Type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. In this regard, it has been recently demonstrated that abdominal obesity was independently associated with an increased risk of coronary heart disease and Type 2 diabetes independently of overall adiposity. Lifestyle modification programs have shown the benefits on cardiometabolic risk variables of a moderate weight loss as it has been found to be associated with a substantial loss of intra-abdominal fat in viscerally obese patients. However, to be successful, such programs require the support of a multidisciplinary team not available to most clinicians. In this context, it is proposed that pharmacotherapy of obesity should target abdominally obese patients at high risk of Type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease, such risk being encompassed by the notion of "cardiometabolic risk". The recent discovery of the endocannabinoid-cannabinoid receptor type 1 (CB1 receptor) system and of its impact on the regulation of energy metabolism represents a significant advance which could help physicians to target abdominal obesity and its related metabolic complications. In this regard, studies have shown that rimonabant (the first CB1 blocker developed) therapy could be useful for the management of clustering cardiovascular disease risk factors in high-risk abdominally obese patients through its marked effects on both abdominal adiposity and related metabolic risk factors.

Cardiovascular Diseases↗

Sex differences in the relationships of abdominal fat to cardiovascular disease risk among normal-weight white subjects.

The objectives of this study are to investigate the relationships between abdominal fat and risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD) among normal-weight (NW) white subjects and to determine how these relationships differ by sex. NW adults (177 males and 258 females) and overweight adults (133 males and 111 females) from the Québec Family Study and the HERITAGE Family Study were retained for this study. Risk factors included systolic and diastolic blood pressures, low-density lipoprotein and high-density lipoprotein cholesterols, triglycerides, and fasting glucose. Only in NW female adults, abdominal visceral fat (AVF) area assessed by computed tomography was significantly correlated with all risk factors, except for fasting glucose, even after age, study cohort, and fat mass were taken into account. NW female subjects with at least one risk factor had a significantly higher AVF than those without risk factors, although the difference was small. Thus, only NW female adults with more AVF tended to have a more adverse CVD risk factor profile.

Abdomen↗

Impaired fasting glucose vs. glucose intolerance in pre-menopausal women: distinct metabolic entities and cardiovascular disease risk?

BACKGROUND: Impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) is associated with an increased cardiovascular disease risk. Less is known about cardiovascular disease risk among subjects with impaired fasting glucose (IFG) or with combined IFG and IGT. AIMS: To compare body composition, body fat distribution, plasma glucose-insulin homeostasis and plasma lipid-lipoprotein profile between pre-menopausal women having either a normal glucose tolerance (NGT), isolated IFG, isolated IGT or combined IFG and IGT. METHODS: Three hundred and thirty-four women with NGT, 11 women with IFG, 35 women with IGT and 10 women with both IFG and IGT were studied. RESULTS: Women with IFG were characterized by a higher visceral adipose tissue (AT) accumulation than women with NGT (P < 0.05). Also, they were characterized by a higher subcutaneous AT area and by higher body fat mass than NGT and IGT women (P < 0.05). However, their lipid-lipoprotein profile was comparable with that of NGT women, except for reduced HDL-cholesterol concentrations (P < 0.05). After adjustment for visceral AT, women with IFG had lower total cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol and apolipoprotein B (apoB) levels than the three other groups. They also had lower HDL(2)-cholesterol than NGT women and lower total cholesterol/HDL-cholesterol ratio than IGT women. Women with IGT showed higher triglyceride and apoB concentrations and a higher total cholesterol/HDL-cholesterol ratio than women with NGT (P < 0.05). Overall, women with combined IFG and IGT showed body fatness characteristics and alterations in their metabolic risk profile which were essentially similar to women with isolated IGT. CONCLUSIONS: These results indicate that there are significant differences in anthropometric and metabolic variables between pre-menopausal women with IFG vs. IGT and that the association between body fatness-body fat distribution indices and the metabolic profile may differ between IFG and IGT women.

Adolescent↗

Potential contribution of metformin to the management of cardiovascular disease risk in patients with abdominal obesity, the metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes.

With an evolving landscape of a growing number of obese and/or type 2 diabetic patients in our affluent population, the metabolic syndrome has become a major issue because of its impact on cardiovascular disease risk. In this regard, although it is appropriate to aim at a better glycaemic control in type 2 diabetic patients, hyperglycaemia does not appear to be the main culprit responsible for the markedly increased cardiovascular disease risk in this population. Rather, studies have suggested that a cluster of metabolic abnormalities, which includes an atherogenic dyslipidaemic state, an impaired glucose/insulin homeostasis, and a pro-thrombotic and inflammatory profile, substantially increases the risk of coronary heart disease in type 2 diabetic patients in a manner which is partly independent of glycaemic control. These results imply that in order to reduce the risk of atherosclerotic macrovascular disease in type 2 diabetic patients, physicians need not only to focus on a better glycaemic control but also to improve the features of the metabolic syndrome. As a consequence, in order to evaluate the clinical benefits of pharmacotherapy in type 2 diabetic patients, we need to quantify the impact of any pharmacological intervention beyond glucose control. In this context, metformin has been shown to not only contribute to a better glycaemic control but also to induce some weight loss (especially in the visceral depot) which may contribute to the improvement of the features of the metabolic syndrome. Thus, metformin treatment may represent a relevant element of an integrated lifestyle modification-pharmacotherapy to prevent not only type 2 diabetes but also cardiovascular disease.

Abdomen↗

Insulin resistance and abdominal adiposity in young men with documented malnutrition during the first year of life.

OBJECTIVE: The main objective of the study was to examine the effect of early life malnutrition on the relation between insulin sensitivity and abdominal adiposity in adulthood. It was hypothesised that participants with early life malnutrition would display a more pronounced deterioration of insulin sensitivity in association with a gain in abdominal fat. DESIGN: As a first attempt to investigate this issue, we studied the effect of body fat gains in a cross-sectional context. SUBJECTS: A total of 26 young adult men with evidence of malnutrition during the first year of life and 27 control subjects were recruited for this study. Malnutrition status was determined from medical files of paediatric hospitals in the Mexico City metropolitan area. MEASUREMENTS: Insulin sensitivity was measured by hyperinsulinaemic euglycaemic clamp, and body composition was measured by anthropometrics, bioelectrical impedance and computed tomography. RESULTS: There was a negative correlation between total abdominal adipose tissue area and insulin sensitivity in the previously malnourished and control groups (r(2)=0.65 and 0.35, P<0.01, respectively). When matched for low amounts of abdominal fat (114 cm(2)), participants with and without early life malnutrition had similar insulin sensitivity (9.03 vs 8.88 mg kg(-1) x min(-1)). However, when matched for high amounts of abdominal fat (310 cm(2)) participants who were malnourished during the first year of life had lower insulin sensitivity (4.74 vs 6.85 mg kg(-1) x min(-1), P<0.05). CONCLUSION: Higher levels of abdominal adipose tissue are more detrimental to insulin sensitivity in previously malnourished individuals.

Abdomen↗

Chronic effects of dehydroepiandrosterone on rat adipose tissue metabolism.

The goal of the present study was to examine cellular mechanisms that regulate adipose cell metabolism in ovariectomized (OVX) and intact rats that were subjected to long-term (27 weeks) treatment with dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA). Forty-eight 16-month-old female rats were divided into 4 groups of 9 to 11 animals (intact, intact-DHEA, OVX, OVX-DHEA). Adipose tissue lipoprotein lipase (LPL), hormone-sensitive lipase (HSL), and cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP)-dependent phosphodiesterase (cAMP-PDE) activities were determined, and alpha2-, beta1/beta2-, and beta3-adrenoceptors (ARs) were quantified. DHEA did not affect body weight, fat, or muscle mass in intact rats. The similar retroperitoneal fat pad weight of intact-DHEA rats compared to intact animals was in agreement with the lack of difference in the enzyme activities and AR densities. The increased body weight of OVX rat was paralleled by a greater retroperitoneal adipose tissue mass (P <.01), which was in turn associated with a marked rise in LPL activity (P <.005) and a slight decrease in HSL activity (P <.05) compared to intact animals. OVX-DHEA rats, compared to untreated OVX animals, had a smaller retroperitoneal fat depot, which correlated with a decrease in LPL activity (P <.005) and moderate increase in both HSL activity and beta3-AR density (P <.05). DHEA-treatment lowered fasting insulin and triglyceride levels in both intact and OVX rats (P <.05). Plasma testosterone, androsterone, androstenedione, and androstenediol levels were also significantly increased in both intact-DHEA and OVX-DHEA rats compared to untreated animals (P <.0001). These findings suggest that the antiobesity action of DHEA may be related in part to changes in lipase activities and in beta3-AR density, and that it is dependent on the ovarian status of the animal.

3',5'-Cyclic-AMP Phosphodiesterases↗

Increasing high-density lipoprotein cholesterol: an update on fenofibrate.

The inverse relation between coronary artery disease and the concentration of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) is well established. A low HDL-C concentration is frequently accompanied by the features of the metabolic syndrome found in patients with type 2 diabetes and in individuals who are abdominally obese. Results from 3 independent trials are consistent in showing that fenofibrate is able to increase HDL-C levels across a wide range of dyslipidemic states. The HDL-C-increasing effect of fenofibrate is proportionately greater when baseline levels are low. Comparing results from published trials, the absolute increase in HDL-C produced by fenofibrate is greater than that with statins across all baseline HDL-C levels, and a 40-mg/dL treatment target HDL-C level is more likely to be achieved with fenofibrate therapy. Fenofibrate has favorable pleiotropic effects on several features of the metabolic syndrome, which are likely to explain the clinical benefits of fibrate therapy, beyond an impact on HDL-C levels. The additional reciprocal beneficial effect of fenofibrate in lowering low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) benefits those patients with low HDL-C and moderately increased LDL-C; the American Diabetes Association now recommends fibrate therapy in this case. Another trial, the Diabetes Atherosclerosis Intervention Study (DAIS) has also provided angiographic evidence to show that fenofibrate treatment may slow coronary artery disease progression in type 2 diabetes. Treatment effects on apolipoproteins suggest that not all fibrates affect HDL-C to an equal degree. A trial with fenofibrate focusing on coronary artery disease risk and mortality reduction in patients with type 2 diabetes that is currently under way, the Fenofibrate Intervention and Event Lowering in Diabetes (FIELD) trial is expected to report in 2005.

Anticholesteremic Agents↗

Age and duration of follow-up as modulators of the risk for ischemic heart disease associated with high plasma C-reactive protein levels in men.

BACKGROUND: Plasma C-reactive protein (CRP) levels recently have been identified as an emerging risk factor for ischemic heart disease (IHD). However, whether plasma CRP levels predict an increased risk for future IHD beyond traditional risk factors has yet to be evaluated in a large prospective, population-based study. METHODS: The association between elevated plasma CRP levels and the risk for future IHD was investigated in the prospective, population-based cohort of 2037 IHD-free middle-aged men from the Quebec Cardiovascular Study. During a 5-year follow-up, 105 first IHD events were recorded. Baseline plasma CRP levels were measured using a highly sensitive assay. RESULTS: High plasma CRP concentrations (equal to or above vs below the median level of 1.77 mg/L) were associated with a significant 1.8-fold increase in IHD risk (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.2-2.7). This association remained significant after adjustment for lipid risk factors but not when the simultaneous contribution of nonlipid traditional risk factors was taken into account. Multivariate analyses indicated that CRP level predicted short-term risk for IHD (events that occurred < or =2 years after the baseline evaluation), but not long-term risk (>2 years). Moreover, high plasma CRP levels predicted an increased risk for IHD, independent of any other confounder, in younger (< or =55 years) but not in older (>55 years) individuals. CONCLUSION: Plasma CRP levels may provide independent information on IHD risk only in younger middle-aged men and in the case of IHD events that may occur relatively soon after the baseline evaluation.

Adult↗

Comparison of various electrophoretic characteristics of LDL particles and their relationship to the risk of ischemic heart disease.

BACKGROUND: Several cross-sectional studies and 3 prospective, nested, case-control studies have indicated that individuals with small, dense low density lipoprotein (LDL) particles are at increased risk for ischemic heart disease (IHD). However, whether LDL particle size is an independent risk factor for future IHD events remains controversial. The objective of the present study was to further analyze the cardiovascular risk associated with various electrophoretic characteristics of LDL particles in men. METHODS AND RESULTS: LDL particles were characterized by polyacrylamide gradient gel electrophoresis (PAGGE) in a cohort of 2034 men of the Quebec Cardiovascular Study. All men were initially free of IHD and were followed up for a period of 5 years, during which 108 first IHD events were recorded. Among all LDL characteristics investigated by PAGGE, including LDL peak particle size, the cholesterol concentration in LDL particles with a diameter smaller than 255 A showed the strongest association with the risk of IHD (relative risk=4.6 in men in the third vs first tertile of the distribution, P<0.001). Multivariate logistic and survival models indicated that the relationship between LDL cholesterol levels in particles with a diameter <255 A and IHD risk was independent of all nonlipid risk factors and of LDL cholesterol, high density lipoprotein cholesterol, triglyceride, and lipoprotein(a) levels. CONCLUSIONS: Results from this large, population-based, prospective study suggest that further characterization of LDL particles by PAGGE, in addition to the traditional lipid profile, may improve our ability to predict IHD events in men.

Aged↗

A sequence variation in the mitochondrial glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase gene is associated with increased plasma glycerol and free fatty acid concentrations among French Canadians.

FAD-dependent glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (mGPD) enzyme is located in the mitochondrial inner membrane where it catalyzes irreversible oxidation reactions. Type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) is a multifactorial disorder associated with physiological abnormalities in the glycerol and free fatty acids (FFA) metabolic pathways. In the present study, we have evaluated the association among the mGPD H264R sequence variation and postabsorptive plasma FFA and glycerol concentrations in a sample of French Canadians with and without type 2 DM. A sample of 81 recently diagnosed type 2 DM and 318 nondiabetic, nonobese, normotriglyceridemic French Canadians were screened for the presence of the mGPD H264R genetic variant using a PCR-RFLP-based method. The 318 nondiabetic subjects were free of known type 2 DM covariates (fasting glucose <7.0 mmol/L, body mass index <29 kg/m(2), fasting glycerol <2.0 mmol/L and absence of the N288D sequence variation in the glycerol kinase gene, fasting triglyceride <2.5 mmol/L). The association of mGPD H264R sequence variation with plasma FFA and glycerol concentrations was assessed in different regression models. Among non-DM individuals, the R allele (HR and RR genotypes) was associated with increased plasma FFA and glycerol concentrations (P < 0.05). However, the mean plasma FFA and glycerol concentrations were not affected by the H264R genotype in the type 2 DM sample. Overall, mean plasma FFA concentrations in non-DM RR homozygotes reached values that were similar to those achieved in patients with type 2 diabetes (0.87 +/- 0.63 vs 0.90 +/- 0.48 mmol/L). After controlling for age, gender, body mass index, fasting glucose, and fasting triglyceride concentrations, the relative odds of having fasting plasma FFA levels above the 90th percentile (0.9 mmol/L) in the absence of DM was increased by twofold in H264R heterozygotes (P = 0.04) and fourfold among R264 homozygotes (P = 0.009) compared to noncarriers. In the absence of DM, the mGPD R allele was also associated with higher plasma glycerol concentrations (P < 0.05). Results in non-DM individuals suggest that the mGPD R allele is associated with DM intermediate phenotypes. The absence of a relation between mGPD genotype and DM is in accordance with the view that DM is a complex phenotype in which increased plasma FFA or glycerol concentrations result from metabolic alterations which might obscure the effect of the mGPD polymorphism.

Adult↗

Genetic variation at the lipoprotein lipase locus and plasma lipoprotein and insulin levels in the Québec Family Study.

The associations between the S447X, BamHI, HindIII and PvuII DNA variants of the lipoprotein lipase (LPL) gene and indicators of body fat, fat distribution and plasma lipids and insulin were studied in the Québec Family Study cohort. Strong linkage disequilibrium among all the markers was observed. For the S447X polymorphism, plasma very low density lipoprotein (VLDL)-cholesterol (chol) (P<0.001), total triglyceride (TG) (P=0.033) and VLDL-TG (P<0.001) levels were lower and high density lipoprotein (HDL)-chol level higher (P<0.001) in the subjects homozygous or heterozygous for X447 (X447+, n=160) compared to the homozygotes for the S447 allele (X447-, n=576). The BamHI, PvuII and HindIII polymorphisms were not associated with the plasma lipid values when all X447 allele carriers were removed. In addition, the HindIII polymorphism as well as the HindIII and S447X markers combination influenced the insulin area under the curve during an oral glucose tolerance test. We conclude that DNA sequence variation in the LPL gene contributes significantly to the variability in the levels of VLDL-chol, total- and VLDL-TG as well as HDL-chol. The effects of the other polymorphisms considered here are most likely mediated by their linkage disequilibrium with the S447X mutation. In addition, genetic variation at the LPL locus may, by an unknown mechanism, influence insulin metabolism but not body fat variability.

Adult↗